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chihuahua
Full Member
Registered: 01/05/09
Posts: 391
Loc: An Oligarchy

This thread is growing cold.

Digitus used to hold piano parties - parties where we can soil his Sauter Omega with curry sauce and oat meal. But since he'd gotten a domestic helper to take his Omega out for walks, retreated to a life of solitude ...

Hi all. I currently have a Kawai K50-E from about 6 years ago and my tuner said that it seems like the wear-and-tear has taken quite a huge toll. The felt on the hammers are thinning away and the piano is getting gradually less and less refined. I'm doing my Diploma this year so I'm also hoping to get a better piano.

Because of space constraints (I live in an apartment where a grand piano would never fit in the elevator or the stairwell), it is not feasible for me to get a grand piano even though I would really like to get one. Anyway, they are also quite out of the price range because I'm looking for something, at the very least, comparable to the Yamaha C3.

Therefore, I'm looking for a great upright that matches my demands and needs. I've tried the Kawai K8AS and I must say the sound is absolutely stunning for an upright but I'm quite disappointed with the light touch and not very responsive touch. I've also tried an Albert Weber AW52 (made by Young Chang I think) which blew me off because of its responsiveness of the keyboard, unlike the Kawai. However, I'm a little skeptical about it because it has an extremely low price tag of $7000. I'm really tempted by its Renner action and hammers though. The sound's quite good but not as good as the Kawai. I've tried a few of Yamaha's YUS Range and I'm quite disappointed with the touch as well.

Can anyone recommend me some uprights (preferably about 52 inches tall) that I might be able to get locally? I know Steinways and the Bosendorfer 130 is good but I'll never be able to afford them as they retail for at least $70000.

Can anyone recommend me some uprights (preferably about 52 inches tall) that I might be able to get locally? I know Steinways and the Bosendorfer 130 is good but I'll never be able to afford them as they retail for at least $70000.

Oh no, I love both! When I *was* first selecting my grand piano back in 2005, it was a close fight between Sauter and Shigeru. In the end the Sauter won out because of superior tone (to my ears), and I still feel that way. But I do think the touch of the Shigeru is more comfortable to play. So both have their strengths, and are ultimately very different pianos that suit very different kinds of music

Hi guys, my 1st post here. I'm totally new to piano playing but so looking forward to getting my 1st upright piano. Well budget is controlled as I'm a beginner hence seeking some input from the more experienced folks here.

My budget is 4K or less, cannot stretch anymore. Was crazily thinking of shelving out 9K for a new U1 but more level headed now haa.

I wonder if anyone had hands on experience with the Hailun uprights?They certainly are within my budget bracket and had read some good reviews about them in the net. Thks in advance for your kind advices!

Oh no, I love both! When I first selecting my grand piano back in 2005, it was a close fight between Sauter and Shigeru. In the end the Sauter won out because of superior tone (to my ears), and I still feel that way. But I do think the touch of the Shigeru is more comfortable to play. So both have their strengths, and are ultimately very different pianos that suit very different kinds of music

Thinking this is fair description.

For those interested: this was our last delivery of a new 6'1 Sauter grand few weeks ago:

Why does this thread have 266 pages? Not that there's anything wrong with that...

It's a unique market. Singapore has a strong concentration of well-heeled and discriminating piano buyers, many of them semi-permanent foreign professionals with wallets and a love of classical music. A number of European makers who don't have much of a presence in the US now (like Sauter) have a bigger presence in Singagore. A large number of budget Chinese brands are available too, many of which are not sold in the US at all. Filling out the mix are the Japanese brands and the usual grey-market delicacies.

Even though the population of the island is only 5 mil, many piano shoppers from neighboring countries (like Malaysia) check in there when their limited local markets don't satisfy.

I thik it's more of a sub-forum than a thread, mostly locals in the know helping people not in the know. IMO one can learn a lot about trends from just lurking there.

Have been referring back to this thread once every few months and I'm glad to see it has been "resuscitated" again! Never knew there were so many piano enthusiasts in Singapore.

My German piano is about 20+ years old and I've always loved it for its warm tone but it's been going a bit wonky of late(it's got this loud creaky sound whenever I hit a certain note) and I'm not sure if I should be refurbishing the insides(the soundboard?) or just consider getting a grand piano. I've started playing the piano quite a bit again of late so I'm seriously considering getting one, only budget-wise a bit tough cos most of the pianos I really like are beyond 30K 2nd hand piano wise, which pianos should I be looking at, does anyone know?

On a side note, I've tried out a few pianos previously and I think the brand new Grotrian has a lovely sound and touch.... but it's way beyond my budget of course..having said, if you guys are interested, the new Yamaha C3X(which has Bosendorfer hammer action or something, similar to the Steinway and Kawaii hybrid Boston I reckon) is worth giving a go.... i tried the C3 previously and always felt the keys felt plasticky.... but this one seems a bit different and it has a rounder tone as well.

Does anyone know where I can try for a 2nd hand grand other than Emmanuel and Sons?

You can try Asia Piano (@ Macpherson) and also Pristine Piano (at Jurong). Pristine Piano has restored Steinways, while Asia Piano would have an assortment of second-hand grand pianos depending on what is on hand.

My German piano is about 20+ years old and I've always loved it for its warm tone but it's been going a bit wonky of late(it's got this loud creaky sound whenever I hit a certain note) and I'm not sure if I should be refurbishing the insides(the soundboard?) or just consider getting a grand piano.

Not likely, just give it plain good service.

By description your piano appears to suffer from the all-to-common 'under-service' syndrome.

I have a situation that I'm wondering if the local Singaporeans here can shed some light on.

I am from Australia on vacation in Singapore, and am interested in buying a new Yamaha N1 Avantgrand. I went into the Plaza Singapura Yamaha dealer last week and was treated very kindly, and allowed to sample a lot of pianos including the Avantgrands for a long time. I noted that there was a sale on, which made it attractive to consider buying a piano locally and exporting it back to my home.

However, today (2nd of Jan), I go back to the store and the guy says that the "sale" has ended as of 31st of Dec (2 days ago, with New Year's being yesterday), and they can no longer sell it at that price. The best price they can offer is about $1500 MORE than the old sale price... ("Retail" = SGD$13.4k Sale = SGD$9.9k, now they want SGD$11.4k)

My question: is this really normal? Are sticker prices in Singapore carved in stone with no negotiation, and sale prices really limited to strict times? I already checked with the guy last week, and there were 3 available in the warehouse, so it's not like they have to order new ones in specially. I've always viewed "sales" as gimmicks anyway, and if you can make money at a price that was advertised, why would you refuse to sell at that price a mere 2 days later? Morever, from a search on google, this piano was offered for an even lower price earlier in March 2012 at SGD$9.6k and offered in August 2012 SGD$9.9k, so it's not like this "sale" price is very unusual.

I also tried to shop around but all of the Yamaha stores seem to be under the same "ownership" and will not compete against each other. Are there any independent stores I should be looking at who could get the piano for me at a competitive price?

I believe that Yamaha itself owns the store in Plaza Singapura. Those cut-off dates for their 'sales' are pretty much cast in stone. The sale periods are always the same every year, so buyers wanting to save money always hold off their purchases until sale time.

I believe that Yamaha itself owns the store in Plaza Singapura. Those cut-off dates for their 'sales' are pretty much cast in stone. The sale periods are always the same every year, so buyers wanting to save money always hold off their purchases until sale time.

Thanks for the info Digitus. Strange that they prefer to sell more pianos only at certain times of the year. In any case, the manager did come back to me in the end with a much closer price. However in the meantime I've tried out some baby grands and am wondering if I should just bite the bullet and get an acoustic... Decisions, decisions...

I noticed that this thread has been left cold for quite some time so hopefully someone will take notice of this new post. I am seeking inputs from Hailun piano owners especially from those who has been playing the piano for several years. Any conern on the quality? Is H122 or H125 better? Recond pianos in Malaysia are mostly above 20 years old. Interested in a U3 but a recond U3 price is close to RM10K (20-30 years old), almost the same price as a new Hailun. Resale to me is not important as I plan to keep the piano for a long time therefore I am hoping to get one that will last the kids till gr8. Budget is between RM6k to 10K. Thanks.

Hello! I've been scouring this thread and forum and have read good reviews about Sauter pianos from Raffles piano... Am scouting around for a piano for when I move to my new house next year, and am trying to contact Alvin but have not been able to for the past week. Just wondering if anyone here might know if he's overseas or when I should call so I can catch him? Thank you:)